There was a time, not too long ago, when Republicans decried “activist judges.” Now they’re lamenting that judges are not being activist enough.“Unfortunately, the courts have been reluctant to exercise their constitutionally conferred power,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte proclaimed at a hearing Wednesday. He called on “the courts to check the president’s overreach,” and he complained that “the federal courts have read their own powers much more narrowly” than they should.

This newfound love of activist judges is the latest manifestation of what has been called Obama Derangement Syndrome: The president’s opponents are so determined to thwart him that they will reverse long-held views if they believe it will weaken his stature.

Republicans have, for example, long deplored the filing of “frivolous lawsuits.” But at Wednesday’s hearings they were contemplating legislation that would authorize either chamber of Congress to file lawsuits against President Obama — even though one of the Republican committee members’ witnesses believed the efforts would fail.